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SUBMISSION TYPES: We are requesting two types of submissions--"derivative" and "original"

DERIVATIVE SUBMISSIONS: "Derivative" design submissions should be based off of one or more of the concepts from recent logo explorations, or our existing logo. So you have 3 options from which to choose when crafting a derivative design.

ORIGINAL SUBMISSIONS: "Original" design submissions are anything that fall outside of the above definition. These should be well-reasoned design concepts that are built from scratch. In other words, 100% original.

Obviously, there will be some overlap between original and derivative designs. We will make a judgment call for anything that falls in a gray area, but most likely anything that relies heavily on a pre-existing concept will be considered a derivative design. That's not bad--it just is what it is.

We are specifically looking for both derivative AND original design submissions, because as much as we like our current concepts, we feel there might also be something better out there. That's why we're offering two awards: a main prize for the winner, and a runner-up prize for the top design in the non-winning category (i.e. if an original design wins, the top derivative design receives the runner-up award, and vice versa).

COLOR PALETTE and VISUAL LANGUAGE: You will also notice there is a separate award for the winning color palette/visual language. This we feel deserves its own separate category, because while we understand color and logo are somewhat inseparable, we want to give all consideration to different "visual language" ideas for both the logo and the brand more generally. We have an existing, de facto visual language that is primarily a "light" feel, with no clear primary color (i.e. many accent colors). This is described in our current style guide, and our recent marketing materials, including new web site and print materials.

While we will consider all color palette options, we are invested already in an existing palette, so drastic changes will need to have a great reason behind them. Again, we are not opposed to a complete change of direction, but if we are not 150% wowed by a new direction, our preference will be to stick more closely with the existing de facto visual language of using light background and multiple colors. Accent colors, specifically, we are easily willing to change. On the other hand, primary elements such as light vs. dark background, and multiple primary colors vs. 1-2 primary brand colors may take more convincing.

That said, please don't be afraid to try new color schemes! We want to see your creativity, and we want to hear why you think we'll create a stronger brand by going in a different direction. For all these reasons, we have created a separate award for the winning color palette/visual language. It's entirely possible that the winning logo designer will also win the color palette prize, but it's not assured.

For color palette, a simple display of color swatches with pantone/hex colors used is appropriate. Please designate which colors would be primary brand colors, versus secondary/accent.

For visual language inspiration, please provide some example images you may have used for inspiration, or that you feel represent a similar concept to our brand. These could be any screenshots you have of web sites that you believe evoke the brand concepts we are trying to convey. As the contest goes on, we will also ask to start seeing examples of the visual language that include actual logo finalist designs.

SELECTION PROCESS: At the end of the day, we will quite simply choose the winner(s) that we feel best conveys our brand--there will be no official quantitative scoring system. However, we will maintain a strict structure and process.

We will divide the contest into two distinct phases:

PHASE 1--DAYS 1-4: Focused on fielding all new entries from any designers willing to participate. We will provide quick, iterative feedback to all submissions, on a minimal daily basis, and will aggressively eliminate designs that miss the mark. At the end of Day 4, we will choose a small group of finalist designs to advance to Phase 2. All designers will still be able to compete for the color palette/visual language award, regardless of whether their designs move into phase 2. In order to maintain the integrity of process and of your creative work, you will not be able to see submissions from other designers.

PHASE 2--DAYS 5-6: Focused on refining the finalist designs, and on bringing together these designs with a final color palette/visual language. Again, you will not be able to see other designers' submissions so as to uphold the integrity of process and to keep your work your own. At the end of Day 6, we will choose a winning logo design, a winning runner-up design, and a winning color palette/visual language.

NOTE: We reserve the right to choose a winner early for any of the three awards, should we feel confident in doing so.

PROJECT WRAP-UP: The winning designer will also be asked to produce a revised brand style guide, based on their winning logo design and the winning color palette/visual language.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update22-Jun-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update27-Jun-13 GMT

First of all, THANK YOU for all the entries!

We have received MANY designs, but we have not received many that seem to really "get" the creative brief (and I've only had 3 questions asked). We also have received almost no "derivative" designs that are close to the two concepts we have in our supporting materials. So, we are extending the contest by one week. Finalist selection will now occur on Tuesday, July 2, at latest.

I will giving feedback to each and every submission over the next 2 days. Many will be eliminated, but I'll always try to tell you why. I'm hoping for a few that remain, which are "on track".

In the meantime, I'm also asking that EVERY designer please enter a derivative design, if you haven't already. If you need to understand better what a derivative design is, please re-read the brief but also feel free to private message me to find out more.

For your derivative submission, I recommend not getting TOO creative. In other words, we're looking for just minor tweaks to the existing 2 concepts we have in the uploaded materials. Specifically, we have 1) the floating dots, and 2) the q-timer (with "Q<"). We'd like to see some submissions that the two of these concepts, without straying too far from them. If you have trouble coming up with a combo, here's some very specific feedback from our CEO that you can't go wrong with:

Combine the Q timer into the dots logo.Starting w/the font in the original exploration, explore other fonts that are beautiful, perhaps elegant and distinctive, memorable. Google font is an example.Explore a version with the < and one without it.Explore a version with the Q<ess and one with just Q<.Try to have the ess fit within the < and another version where it's the same size as <.What do we do with the Q timer if the wait forecast increases? Just change the number and keep as at the beginning?

Update3-Jul-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.

Update3-Jul-13 GMT

The buyer has uploaded a new file in this project. You can download that file in the DETAILS tab.